Successor of Darkness
by Doegewoonwat
Summary: Naruto beaten and nearly killed time after time snaps. The love for his village and fellow humans now turned into hatred, the power of darkness trained to him to satisfy his new dream. Watch as Naruto transforms into a true demon, if they claim him to be one then so be it, they will repent for their actions in due time as will all others. Rated M for violence and Gore, no sex etc.
1. Chapter 1

**Please Enjoy, I hope… it's a dark story with a messy beginning but please stick with it. It's kind of needed to make Naruto who he is, this isn't some happy go lucky blissfully ignorant Naruto who loves everybody even if they want to kill him. Nah this is about a Naruto who becomes dark and kills without a second thought**

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Running as quick as he could Naruto ducked into the nearby alley, panting as the shouts neared him. As he hid behind a trashcan luring out into the open he spotted some of the pursuers running past with frantic and hateful looks 'I'm safe?'. Sadly and all too quickly some of the men were more aware of his usual actions, three robust men stopped in front of the alley entrance with smirks on their faces "Let's comb him out boys" slowly walking into the alley as panic came upon Naruto's face 'I have to run!'

As the men approached he decided to make a run for it, as fast as he could he went deeper into the alley as the pursuer's smirk widened "You're not getting away demon, nobody will hear your screams as we slowly murder you in here". His fear intensifying and back hitting a wall he could only watch as the men came closer 'I'm going to die! Help, someone Help!' his voice gave way as he wanted to shout for help instead. It was for naught, the men reached him as a kick to his chest blew him against the wall, ribs creaking and probably shattered as Naruto slid to the ground in pain. "Oooh we're not done with you yet demon, make it slow boys. Nothing too fatal, yet"

One pulled him up by the hair tears streaming down his face. A fist went deep into his stomach as Naruto could feel the bile and blood coming up already, his mouth closed shut by a hand forcing him to keep it in. One man kept him pinned down as the others beat him senseless. Blows all over his body, kicks to his legs and joints which popped as bones nearly broke "Tear off his shirt, I'm going to make him suffer some more!"

Naruto watched with half opened eyes as the man's hand was covered in flames, he screamed in pain as the flaming hand slid across his chest. Skin searing and scraping off as fingers dug into him. Every moment he felt the pain all so clear, never able to slip unconscious. The torture went on for more than half an hour before Naruto just couldn't handle it any longer… his childish hope and dreams turning into hatred. His wonders as to why turning into a want for revenge _**'I'm going to kill them!'**_

Red chakra enveloped him as the wounds began closing. Eyes turning red with slits causing the men to panic "Quick, kill him!" the burning hand on his chest trying to pierce deeper as a child's hand grabbed it unable to move any longer. Naruto's head shot up with eyes wide open as a feral grin appeared on his face. The man's entire arm ripped right off the next second by sheer force as blood covered the alley. The other two men tried to flee as they saw their comrade wounded but before they could even run away a few metres they felt their legs giving out. Looking behind them with fear as they fell to the ground they saw Naruto standing there, in one hand he had an arm and in the other a leg… one of the men screamed in agony as the missing leg registered in his mind, yet Naruto didn't care. Slowly walking up to them as they tried crawling away he stomped on the man's back, a loud crack was heard as his scream intensified. The last man still conscious with broken legs crawling away begged, his neck grabbed by Naruto just as he'd done to him he was lifted against the nearby wall _**"You like your eyes, don't you?"**_

"N-No, please!"

Naruto placed his fingers in front of the man's red eyes _**"No"**_ his fingers slowly digging into the eyes as the man screamed. The man's limbs going limp as he slipped unconscious _**"Tss already? I'm not done with you yet!"**_ he went to each of the men and broke every mayor joint in their entire body, knees, shoulders, elbows and all others broke into splinters from his repeated stomping on them

Yet what was more than odd was that nobody else entered the alley even with all the screams. Although this had a logical reason, people thought they were his, why would anybody want to disturb his suffering? No there was an unspoken rule, the ones that found him were the ones that made him suffer until they were gracious enough to share it with others. Before the sudden silence would attract attention Naruto jumped up the roof with his newly invigorated power, intending to shake off anybody pursuing him. As he got on the roof he spotted several men on other rooftops glaring at him "He's escaping, get him!"

Running with speed unlike before he jumped from rooftop to rooftop escaping in no way in particular, he knew he was no match for this many men even with his new powers. He may be a bit thick but Naruto wasn't an idiot by a long shot… time went by as he made his escape yet the pursuers were slowly gaining on him, more red chakra leaking from him as he became frantic, desperate to escape 'A forest! This is my chance!' to his right he spotted the forest and made a beeline for it, not soon after he sped through the trees in blinding speed as he heard the cries behind him 'I did it!'. He didn't stop running though knowing that it was only a matter of time if he as much as slowed down. His power however wasn't unlimited, it lessened over time as his stamina gave way, his speed diminishing as he struggled to stay awake due to exhaustion. A small cottage in the middle of the forest appeared in his view as the most curious thing possible 'Why is there a cottage here?! It's a thick forest… I guess I have to' it was his only chance. Staying outside in a forest was a terrible idea even he knew that, the cottage being there in such a condition could only mean one thing, there was something that kept it safe. He approached as the door suddenly opened before him. A small girl no older than fourteen stepped outside with Pitch-black hair, dark eyes, black clothes and a smile on her face "Hey there brat, come on in"

What option was there? Try and run and die to people trying to find him or try his luck with a random strange girl living in a deadly forest? He knew the ones after him were plain evil so that left the girl… he went inside as the girl gestured him to follow. A small open room with not much furniture was all he saw, the girl already sitting on a chair "Sit down, please"

He did as was asked without even questioning due to exhaustion, his otherwise energetic and curious personality now devoid of energy. "Welcome to my little home Naruto-kun, I'm Hikage"

"…" opening his mouth she already interjected "No need, I know who you are because I often go into the village, you're famous, you know that? As for who I am let's just say that not many know about me. Now Naruto you may have come here by chance but I have been meaning to talk to you, I am quite curious about you in fact"

"As payment for my curiosity, how about I tell you some little things, things you have been wondering for many years. Such as why people hate you, who were your parents?"

The blank face of Naruto turning into utter shock as the girl so calmly said those things with a smile on her face, he couldn't find out even one of those answers for years! His life had been absolute hell for as long as he knew just because of that first question, he needed to know! "P-Please, tell me…" tears already forming as he saw a glimpse of hope

Hikage's smile widening as she sat down more comfortably "Now Naruto-kun, let me tell you a little story about a fox and mice... A long time ago when the villages didn't yet exist there was a magnificent large fox. This fox lived by itself in the wilderness not caring about the world around it, it lived in peace and quiet except for very few moments when something came to annoy it. These things were, in the eyes of the fox, like mice. Imagine being over ten metres tall with tiny mice frolicking around you and wanting your attention for no apparent reason other than to annoy you. Now you might think the fox would simply kill them, get rid of the pests which continue to disturb its peace, yet it didn't. Killing them seemed to have no effect, every time many died others seemed to take their place a second later. Therefore the only real solution was to leave them be, the fox lived alone only killing a mouse every so often if it purposefully came to pester it."

' _Damn Right…'_ Naruto's head shot up at the sudden sound in his head but stopped from saying anything as the story continued

"But this story takes a sudden terrible turn for the fox… there were two mice, stronger than the others, which continuously fought one another. The first wanting to kill the second and the latter trying to join forces with him. The first little mouse was defeated which made his hatred grow all the more, that was until it had a sudden idea. What if this little piece of vermin apparently had the power to control the fox? Make it a slave to the mouse's will, make the fox fight the second mouse? And that's what he did, the fox had lost control over its own body and fought a great battle with the second mouse, yet in the end it was defeated. The second mouse had a power which made the fox unable to use its strength, so in the end the fox and vermin were defeated by the second mouse."

"Yet it didn't end here. The fox which had done absolutely nothing wrong and acted against its own will, used as a slave in a battle not his was judged as an evil demon! The second mouse with its powers over the fox did far worse than the first mouse, it enslaved the fox and jailed it inside a mouse container. The fox's freedom was stripped, it was confined to a small cell barely able to move for decennia to come. It didn't do anything wrong, it hadn't done any evil over the years yet it was still seen as evil because of its power. But was that truly the case? What if the second mouse just wanted its power, abuse it and give it to his own race?"

"The fox having been stripped of its freedom now jailed found out that the same fate came for its brothers and sisters. The other eight having been put inside mice as pawns for power, traded away as if they were simple objects all by that second piece of filth mouse! Years passed as it was locked up, every day the same as the one before without a spec of hope. That was until its container was about to die, the fox would regain its freedom. It sensed the end of its jailor approach already dreaming of the open world and space where it could move freely, but even that was taken away from the fox. At the very last minute it was transferred from one mouse to another yet again jailed for decennia to come."

"You can probably imagine Naruto the hatred for mice that filled inside the fox. The mice using it like an object and taking away its freedom simply because they could, it would drive anything mad. More time passed with the second jailor until it approached close to our time. Its jail was suddenly torn open, it was free! All but for a few minutes, a copy of the first mouse the vermin that enslaved it once now did so again. Once again it was forced to fight, enslaved, and once again it was beaten. The freedom which it had truly regained for a few minutes was torn apart. A new mouse did as the former, it jailed it into another mouse while dying in the process. This is the part of the story you will feel familiar with Naruto"

Naruto's face already having turned into a frown, anger in his eyes as they began turning red. Things became clear as the story unfolded…

"This mouse which became the jailor hadn't done so by his own accord. The role was forced upon him when he was just a baby. You might expect that all the other mice in the mice village would treat this mouse as their hero, this mouse that jailed their fear and protected them from its just wrath. But you couldn't be more wrong. These despicable mice treated the poor young mouse as the one it jailed, they vindicated him, humiliations, beatings, torture, treating the mouse like absolute vermin and bringing him to the brink of death time and time again! All because of something this mouse had no control over! Now Naruto I ask you, what should this mouse do against these other mice? What treatment should he give them for their actions?"

" _ **Revenge!"**_

Hikage smiled as she gently shook her head "No Naruto-kun, that's the wrong word for it. Don't you think it would be more akin to justice? Justice for their actions, justice against all the mice which not only harmed him but also the poor fox?"

Red chakra spiralling around Naruto as claws dug into the table, eyes now truly red with slits in them as the anger overwhelmed him. Hikage spread out her energy holding the boy in place as she comforted him "Calm down Naruto-kun" she looked into his eyes as they seemed to recognize her, the red eyes widening in shock as Hikage smirked

Naruto found himself in a damp sewer, on the ground as the cold air penetrated his skin. He struggled to get up as a heavy feeling overwhelmed him, that was until an arm gently helped him up. Looking to his right he saw the woman, Hikage standing there with the same smile on her face which comforted him only seconds ago. Trying to find the words she gestured for him to remain quiet and follow her. They walked through the sewers as questions filled his head all until a clearing opened up, shock came upon him as a giant cage entered his view. "This, Naruto-kun, is what I was talking about. Say hello to Kurama, also known as the Nine-Tailed Fox"

" **H-Hikage! How?!"**

Naruto noticed confusion on the fox's face, no anger could be seen. The fox only looked at the woman next to him with his eyes wide open as if he couldn't believe what he saw

"It's been a while Kurama. Frankly I'm saddened to see you like this, which is a lot coming from me"

"… **It has, fate really has a way with things seeing as you came here. So, this is my new Jailor?"**

"Oh please you heard what I just told him, don't tell me you didn't listen in on my little story. And if I'm right then Naruto shouldn't be like the others"

" **THEY'RE ALL THE SAME! EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE FILTHY HUMANS!"**

Shaking her head as she approached the cage "Most of them indeed, but there are a few exceptions. Naruto-kun here is one of them, I believe he won't act like the others. You might even get along"

The massive fox in front of him having confirmed his suspicions from the story "I'm the jailor… that's why they treat me like this!" anger forming in his eyes as he looked at the Kyuubi

" **See, he's the same! Those eyes, that anger, it's all the same!"**

"Naruto-kun, could you tell me what you're angry at? Clear up his mind for me will you?"

Red chakra began to leak from the cage which could only be possible inside a mindscape if the will of the jailor was the same as the jailed. This wasn't like the normal world where power could be stripped from the Fox without his permission, no only equal feelings could bring about this to occur _**"Those fucking humans! I'll kill every last one of them!"**_

A smirk formed on the Kyuubi's face as he noticed what was going on **"Well now, it seems you're right Hikage… this could prove interesting to say the least. Tell me, what is your plan?"**

Darkness held Naruto in his place as the power receded "I'm going to train him and in turn free you, as compensation for what you did all those years ago. It seems the one that sealed him made a mistake which I'll gladly abuse, the idiot only sealed your Yin-chakra into him"

Laughter ensued as the Kyuubi almost went berserk **"VERY INTERESTING INDEED! VERY WELL, I SHALL ASSIST YOU ONCE MORE HIKAGE! BRAT!"** turning his face to Naruto

" **My name is Kurama, remember it! I'll gladly aid you in your goal, show those filthy humans what happens when they mess with powers they should leave at peace!"**

"Naruto-kun there's a few more things I'll have to talk about with Kurama, do you want to stay here or at my house to get your thoughts together?" he thought it over for a minute until conviction formed on his face "I'll stay"

"Good answer. Okay Kurama here's the thing, I need your help, you know that my techniques are all based on Yin-energy. While your power sealed in Naruto is Yin-attuned as well, his body is mostly Yang due to that piece of filth father of his. Therefore we need to convert most of his chakra to my element"

" **Oh? How do you plan to do this? You know what kind of effect this will have on him, don't you?"**

"Please don't take me for a fool, I'm a medical expert and you know it. You will flood his body with Yin-chakra while I help convert a part of it to my energy. We're going to make a perfect triangle of power, your Yin-chakra, my Yin-energy and lastly to help him grow until we can change it his Yang-chakra. These three types will form in a perfect ratio"

" **You're planning to make him into a Sage?!"** He began to laugh again as the smirk on his face grew all the wider **"Intriguing! Your energy will help keep mine in check I presume, this will keep the fact from leaking?"**

Hikage nodded "Indeed, I will train him until he can control this by himself. Luckily for us the effect of Yin-Sage mode isn't obvious to his features. The only time you'll see it is if someone looks at his blood, which we can just explain as being a result of your chakra, and when he learns how to control his shadow. But we can explain that last part due to my techniques as I control darkness which will make it look different than the normal shadow-control techniques of the Nara"

The both of them faced Naruto as he had no idea what they were talking about, he wasn't dumb to say the least but the topic at hand was a bit over his head. "Naruto we're going to change your body for a bit, it will make you grow in strength quicker and aid you in learning my techniques. Kurama can testify to their strength…"

The fox in question scoffed **"Strength?! Now that's an understatement, you're practically invulnerable, even I can't harm you if you're serious"**

Hikage shrugged "Neither can I harm you"

" **Doesn't mean that your techniques aren't an extreme annoyance, I pity anyone that truly wants to fight you"**

"Nobody tried to in ages unfortunately, quite frankly I've grown a bit bored. We need another war in my opinion, peace is just terribly boring…"

" **Tss, warmonger, no wonder they call you Ya…s.."** a sudden darkness forced his mouth shut as Hikage venomously smiled "Don't call me that, at least not when he's near. I don't really like my nickname all that much"

" **But you deserve it nonetheless, I might not have harmed those little mice from your story but you sure as hell did"**

"They bothered me okay? Not my fault they continued to annoy me"

" **Walking in your path counts as annoying you?! You might as well kill every last mouse because they breathe the same air by that logic!"**

"…I was moody? That time of the month…year…decennia?"

"Uhm… guys?" they turned their heads to Naruto and noticed the confusion on his face all too well "Oeps, that's for another time Naruto-kun, nothing you should worry about" clapping her hands with a massive smile "Ready to start getting strong?!"

"…I guess?"

"Great! Kurama let's do this!"

Screams of agony erupted inside Hikage's little cottage as she held down Naruto with her darkness. The sound didn't leave her home due to a multitude of seals granted to her by the previous Kage as compensation for letting them stay near her forest. Naruto's body spasmed as red and black smoke erupted from his skin "This is going quite well" Hikage smiling as the process continued

Although she said that there were some complications which weren't accounted for. Naruto's hair got strands of pure black in them which conflicted with his blonde, the edge of his Iris making a pure black circle around the blue in the middle. His muscles continued to spasm as they became leaner and more defined, yet not bulky in any way. They looked like muscles of a person trained for endurance and speed, not power

"Interesting, it seems Sage-mode does add some features. It's just that I never saw them because my eyes and hair were pitch-black to begin with"

The sound of the doorbell suddenly rang which didn't really seem to surprise her "Just a minute!" she continued working on Naruto for another hour until the process was complete. He lied there on the table unconscious. Satisfied she went to the door and opened it, outside Hikage saw the Hokage with a great number of Shinobi trying to enter her cottage by force in many ways. The constant firing of Jutsu stopped as she stepped outside with a smile "Now to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Hiruzen frowned "Give Naruto back at once and give yourself up"

"Nope, no can do. Actually I can, but I don't want to"

"Restrain her!" the Shinobi prepared to fire multiple Jutsu at her as others went to apprehend her by hand until a massive wave of darkness erupted from Hikage which covered the entire group. Darkness latched them onto the ground as they were instantly unable to move even a finger "Don't do that, it seems you've forgotten your place?"

Hiruzen struggled to move as Hikage let the control over her darkness slip just enough to allow him to speak "What do you mean forgotten my place!? I'm the Hokage of this village!"

"True enough, but I don't really care. Tell me brat, what's the name of this forest?"

"The forest of Death, what does that matter?!" still struggling to move his muscles yet failing in the slightest

"It seems they've changed the name then. It used to be the forest of Shadows, named after me. The name Hikage should ring a bell I presume? Or didn't you read your ancestors notes?"

Extreme shock and panic formed on Hiruzen's face as he processed the information "Y-You can't be! You shouldn't be alive anymore!" she shrugged "Perks of being me. Then you should know what the notes say about me, as I so generously let Woodsy place a village near my home and even allowed him to carry part of my name"

"…Men, stand down!"

Hikage smiled with a small laugh "Perfect you know your place!" the darkness holding everyone down receded as they tried to regain their footing and understand what was happening. "Can I please see Naruto-kun? He's important to me"

"Of course you can! You should've just asked to begin with, but only you though the others will have to wait outside. My home is a bit small for such numbers" she proceeded to walk inside "Come on then, come I don't have all day!"

Still in shock Hiruzen cautiously followed her inside the cottage as the first thing he noticed was Naruto laying there right in front of him on the table. Anger rose in him as he seemingly forgot what'd just happened, ready to attack Hikage "You know you shouldn't do that brat, lest I kill you where you stand. I really don't care for your position, got it? The boy's alright, better than ever in fact"

He slowly walked up to him inspecting the all too familiar boy "Black hair, and his eyes?! What did you do?!"

Still smiling she sat down on a chair next to the table mentioning for Hiruzen to do the same "I made him a Sage"

"…You…You what?!" eyes nearly bulging out from what she'd just said "You heard me, I made him a Sage. He's going to study under me from now on, which means that he's no longer under your care. The rules state that I get whatever I want, whenever I want. And It just so happens that the boy piqued my interest"

"You can't just do this! He's important to the village!"

Darkness erupted around her as she glared at Hiruzen "I can and I will, else you want this entire village to suddenly get removed. Do I make myself clear?"

"B-But…"

Her energy radiating around her as Hiruzen felt like true evil was in front of him, true undiluted power which pressed against him _**"I don't care for this village in the slightest, I so generously let it be built next to my home and in return I am allowed to do whatever the hell I want! If you even dare act against me now not only you but the entire village you so dearly love will be destroyed by me, do you understand?"**_

Hiruzen felt like he was on death's doorstep, not even in the most brutal of wars had he encountered this feeling. It was akin to standing right in front of the Kyuubi yet this time as if the rage was pointed at him specifically! "I-I do"

The feeling vanished as Hikage's smile returned "Then you've got nothing to worry about. I will train the boy and make him stronger than you ever could. He will act like one of your shinobi in due time but remember this, he will never be under your command. He is mine henceforth, if even a single person from your village acts against him in a way that I don't like then your entire village will face my judgement. Now go, I'm busy with Naruto, he's become a Sage but I'm going to have to stabilize him for now, oh and one last thing. Never mention what I did to him to anyone. Byebye now"

The darkness pushed him outside as he couldn't even protest, he didn't have a choice… if what the notes mentioned was true then the girl in front of him was a force of nature. She wasn't something he could trifle with or anyone for that matter, the notes state that even the first together with Madara were demolished by her when they went against her. There was just a single line stating how to approach her "DO NOT GO AGAINST HER!"

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 **Yay the first chapter! I kind of wanted to do a shadow Shinobi story all along and with everybody liking Naruto all that much I thought hey let's make him the main. This is just the prologue though and I have a small question, should I make 4-5 chapters about Hikage and how she came to her power and who she is, or should I spread this over the chapters as flashbacks or her explaining what happened? So yeah Naruto is now Yin-based in nature and he will be kind of dark, no love for humans at all except for the very few who manage to warm his heart. It will be a dark story with lots of death. And for the love of god NO HAREM, I can seriously not comprehend how people write a Harem about CHILDREN, they're children! Talking about them having sex etc is just disgusting especially with details!**

 **Some small info on Hikage, she really doesn't give a crap about anyone. She's not the nicest person around to say the least and has a really biased view on humans. I hope you liked the first chapter! Please give advice on what I can improve etc**


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter! It's a bit dark so yeah I hope you don't mind. Naruto has to have a change in personality so the process of that is brutal to say the least. Have fun reading? Also disclaimer I don't own Naruto, never will, don't even want to.**

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Naruto woke up on the wooden table still in the cottage. Looking around it seemed as if nothing happened, everything looked the same even the sun which shone into the windows. The girl which helped him however wasn't around. Breaking out of his stupor Naruto tried to get off the table 'What the hell?! My body, it feels really strange!' the usual movement of his legs now felt as if the tiniest input gave a much faster reaction, as if his mind was disconnected from his body. Even the simple action of moving his legs to the edge of the table proved difficult, taking more than fifteen minutes of painstaking frustrating failed attempts. Yet his body didn't hurt, he knew something was clearly different remembering Hikage and the Kyuubi, Kurama, talking about changing his body in some way

"Took you long enough brat" in usual circumstances his head would've shifted to the source but again he failed miserably as his head refused to properly turn "Keep trying brat, it'll take you a while until your mind is adjusted to the new muscles"

"W-What did you do?"

"Making your useless body more efficient, seriously what the hell have you been eating?! Half of your body was frustratingly useless only hampering everything you did. Be glad I changed you brat, otherwise you would've become a midget if not worse"

'What could be worse than that?!'

"For instance you could've become a braindead moron talking about becoming Hokage…"

Naruto sat there in silence not daring to talk as his face betrayed it all "…you can't be serious, you seriously wanted to become Hokage? With all they put you through?! Kami sake brat I would've snapped your neck if you even dared talk about that in my presence"

"Get off my table though there's chairs everywhere, it's damn rude to just lie around"

"I'm trying!"

Hikage walked up to Naruto grinning as he knew something was wrong "You have one minute or else I'm throwing you outside. You know what's outside, don't you? A nice cosy forest with man-eating animals just waiting for a snack"

'She's fucking crazy! Move damnit Move!'

…

His body suddenly moved as if out of his control "Time's up, have fun" the door opening before him as he flew through the air before sliding to a stop on the ground, his face full of dirt. Naruto struggled to get up as the earie quiet forest surrounded him. Every sound which broke the silence frightened him, he'd run through here with all his haste trying to escape the pursuers, he saw glimpses of what lived here. But now barely able to move and no power helping him he was like a lamb going to the slaughter _**'You're on your own brat, the training begins now"**_

'Kyuubi?!'

' _ **I told you my name brat, you'd damn well use it before I rip your throat out. Either you survive and get stronger or you die, both are fine with me as I'm going to be free either way. Yet I do enjoy the idea of a human slaughtering his kin, so don't disappoint me'**_

'But I'm going to die!'

' _ **Probably, Tss I'll give one piece of advice so stop your whining. You're overloading your senses trying to move far too quickly, go slow. The fear of death will help you next to that, have fun, brat'**_

'Kurama!' but there was no further response. At first the panic was still present, Naruto trying to move too fast, his muscles overloading. A hissing sound making him halt as he knew something was approaching, slowly looking to the right Naruto saw a massive snake slither on the ground in between the thick trees. Fear crept up to him 'Move!' as the snake crept closer without a hurry, knowing that its prey was having trouble running. Snakes liked a good hunt but what they liked even more was toying with prey. Almost tasting the fear as their prey whimpered, slowly breaking them as the screams of pain filled them with joy. At least that's what the snakes in this forest liked, the forest of death had sadistic animals, they weren't natural due to the thick chakra present in the air

His arms and legs slowly complying to his commands as he crawled over the ground trying to get away even when he knew the speed at which he moved was far too slow. The snake slithering closer until it was within arm's reach, its body slowly touching Naruto as if letting him know that he was at its mercy. The lack of his whimpering however annoyed the beast, Naruto's leg being forcefully grabbed before he was thrown against a nearby tree. His muscles partially torn, his back broken as the healing powers began repairing the damage done. Writhing in pain as he struggled to get off the ground, the snake getting closer yet again

Looking up just in time to spot the tail trying to slam into his chest the urge to live took over, his muscles moving as he willed for just the split second needed. Naruto ducked to the side still in pain as he tried to keep his eyes on his would be killer. The snake annoyed at its prey intensifying the agony it would inflict

'My back's already healed! I'm sure it was broken, what the hell did she do to my body?!'

His thoughts giving the snake an opportunity as Naruto quickly held up his arms to protect against yet another swipe aiming for his chest. A loud crack was heard as Naruto was flung away several meters, rolling to a halt as the ground wounded him even more. His arms unable to move as they protested, clearly broken by the angle at which they hung by his body. Yet the movement in his muscles indicated the process at which he was being healed, it only took several seconds before his arms were also forced back in its proper place. Pain shot through him as the forceful manner of healing was anything but natural, it was as if his body didn't care about the feeling it would cause, only how quickly it could recover from the damage done

'I'm familiar with pain, this is nothing! If I can't dodge then block, my body will heal, I just have to stay alive!' the snake pursuing its prey continued its assault, swipe after swipe came at Naruto. Ducking underneath them and rolling on the ground as another tried to slam him, blocking another with his arms as he couldn't move quick enough only for his broken arms to unnaturally twist back in its natural position seconds later. As time went by the rush of adrenaline invigorated Naruto, the feeling of being at death's door yet having control over the situation and the chance to stay alive. It excited him and the longer he had to dodge the more he began to enjoy it in a cruel twisted manner!

The snake as well was more than pleased, this prey amused it to no end! The pain it inflicted was all too real, it heard the cries the prey made as hits connected. Yet unlike other prey this one didn't break all too easily, it didn't want to finish the hunt, it wanted to enjoy itself more! It found that the prey became better at dodging, movements became sharper and quicker as if the prey was adjusting to his body. It was curious what his limits were and damn well would it take its time to find them!

Hours passed as the battle raged on, Naruto dodging better by the minute as bones broke less often. The snake making trickier attacks and truly showing how much it was toying with Naruto, yet as time went on they grew to bond in a sense. What began as prey and hunter was now two beings fighting one another for their enjoyment. Especially since the Snake knew that the little human before it was a child, a whelp, nothing that should be able to hold out for more than a second. It grew to admire the human slightly even as it saw the seemingly endless stamina dwindle. A last swipe threw Naruto through multiple trees as his body lay there on the ground broken senseless, he was exhausted. His body still denying the chance of dying, healing itself but at a slower rate than before it refused to give up. The snake looked at Naruto in curiosity, should it just kill him and be done with it? No… it had enjoyed itself more than many months combined, this prey was amusing so that left one option, keep it alive to enjoy it more. It was his prey, it refused to let anything else kill the boy. Dragging Naruto by the legs as he went towards their starting location, knowing where the boy came from it slithered towards the small cottage. The girl which lived there was insane it knew that all too well, but it was the best option for its prey, it had to live to come again tomorrow. So it threw Naruto at the door from a far enough distance, not daring to come within distance of the danger that small girl presented

*Thud* he slid down the door struggling to get up, grasping as to what the snake just did 'Why, it could've killed me, it had every chance… it wants me alive?'

The door opening as he lay on the ground, Hikage smiling at him from above "Welcome back brat, did you have fun?" Although he wanted to deny it, wanted to scream at her for the insanity of what she'd done to him, he couldn't. Thinking back at the situation it was absurd to realise and even more absurd to admit but "Actually, I did…"

"Good, because you're going to spend more time with that snake from now on. It doesn't seem to want to kill you, yet. Although I'm sure that will differ if you let it down, it's fascinated by you and in turn pushes you to your limits. You're going to take advantage of this all you can, there's no better way to train"

Naruto slowly nodded as he got up from the ground, following Hikage into the little cottage for what she'd planned next. He knew that she was insane but had no truly bad intentions, sure he might suffer but how was that new? He'd suffer every day in the village even more after what he'd done so why not get stronger in return?

"Sit down brat, it's time to teach you some basics. As I'm sure you've realised I've changed you quite drastically, those bones you broke during your little bit of fun should in no way heal as quickly as they did. Yet after the changes it only takes seconds and we're going to abuse this, each part of your training will be at death's door. Make one wrong move and you'll have a chance at dying and with that I mean truly dying, I don't train weaklings"

'If it makes me strong enough to reach my goal then fuck it, the fear of dying is nothing new'

"It seems you're determined enough brat, you didn't even flinch. Very well I'll explain what I did. In short I turned you into a Sage, but I believe you have no idea what that entails" he shook his head "which is understandable, Sages are extremely rare and becoming one is dangerous beyond belief. A Sage has three types of chakra, Yin-Yang and Nature Chakra. You've had one year at the academy so far so you haven't had any of that crap yet so just keep quiet."

"Yin chakra is the chakra which deals with imagination, imagining shapes and moulding chakra into them. It also deals with infusing chakra into incorporeal things, this is important for my techniques which I will explain later. Next up is Yang chakra, chakra of the physique. The stronger the body the stronger your Yang chakra will be, this deals with turning the imagined thing into reality, for instance you imagine a fireball with Yin chakra and then use Yang chakra to actually produce the flame. Next up is the most special of chakras, Nature chakra. As you might guess by the name this chakra is found in nature itself, humans don't have it. Yet a Sage does, a Sage will forcefully take in Natural chakra and make it their own, this produces great power but comes at an equally great risk. If the amount of nature chakra is not perfectly equal to your Yin and Yang chakra then you will die. Nature is volatile, it's all or nothing and usually ends up in the nothing end of the spectrum, most that try die. Which Is why I helped you, I forcibly changed your body to have a perfect balance of the three chakras"

"But I didn't do this alone. You've met Kurama, what you don't know is that when he was sealed inside of you the person who did so only sealed the Yin chakra of Kurama. I used this little mistake, your natural body was mostly comprised of Yang chakra, yet it did have some Yin as that's natural. I removed this natural yin chakra which you had, now the only Yin chakra in your body belongs to him, the Yang chakra is what you already had and the Natural chakra is my energy"

"You keeping up so far?" he cautiously nodded afraid to do otherwise. He did get everything which was said, as stated before Naruto wasn't dumb. He was a bit thick and stubborn but not dumb, it's just that nobody ever tried to properly teach him. And now that his body was fixed his mind also became clearer, processing information came smoother than before

"Note that I said energy, not chakra. Chakra is made up of Yin energy and Yang energy, together these two make chakra and the amount of each which form chakra determines which alignment your chakra mostly has. Yet I use the energy before it's moulded, this is far purer and is in all actuality a force of nature, Yin energy is the purest form of Yin. Using it is incredibly dangerous, as I said one wrong move and you die, that's why everybody turns it into chakra which is far less volatile. Over the ages people even forgot that it's possible to use the purer form, by the way if you tell even a soul about this I will instantly kill you, keep that in mind" the voice turning sickeningly sweet at the end, Naruto clearly knew not to go against her, his instinct screaming at him to follow her orders

"So you're now a Sage, you have three very strong forms of power which combine into one. Every Sage however is different, depending on which type of natural energy they use it will determine what kind of benefits it provides. Yours deals with the imagination and specifically my techniques. Tell me brat, have you heard of the Nara clan?"

A few seconds of pondering over the question gave him the answer, he wasn't sure but "The pineapple head guys? The ones so lazy that they don't even bother to move after I pranked them?"

"Bingo, wait, you pranked them?"

"Yeah I did, once. But it was the most boring thing ever! I turned all their hair bright pink and made the board games they play slippery but they didn't even care! They were so lazy that they didn't bother to remove the dye or oil and just waited until it naturally went away!"

"…That sounds like them alright. Well uhm… back to business" struggling to keep the grin off her face "They use a special technique which lets them control their shadow, it's what the clan's famous for. Your training will begin very much the same, I will teach you two techniques which are the basis of everything I will teach you. You will master them to such a level that they become instinctual, until then you will not train anything else except for your fun with the snake"

Shivers went down his spine as he felt she wasn't joking, he knew trouble was brewing as he would feel the pain for a long time…

"First is the most important one, this is a half-completed version of the Echo-Jutsu. This Jutsu is used to send out a large shockwave of chakra and return it, with the returning chakra the person will make a map of the surroundings. But this last step is useless for us, instead of returning the chakra you will move it outwards while keeping it under your control, you will stay in touch with the chakra which is possible due to the natural energy you now possess. Instead of returning it and then making a map of the surroundings you will do so as it is traveling, this will reduce the time until you get feedback drastically"

"But can't I just use my eyes?"

"Tell me brat, can you see behind you without turning around?"

"No?"

"Well with this technique you can, you will be able to see everything as far as you can produce a shockwave of chakra while keeping it under control. You will have 360-degree vision of everything at all times when you're at such a level that this technique becomes instinctual. You will never be able to be surprised even when you're asleep. But more importantly, this technique is the basis of all other techniques I will teach you. Follow me brat and I'll show you"

The two of them walked into the forest as there was still light in the sky, around two minutes as the trees around them grew thick and plenty they stopped. Hikage turned towards Naruto smiling "This is what I will be teaching you". Everywhere the eye could see a massive black wave of darkness erupted, there was not a single spec around him which wasn't pitch-black "Every single thing which produces a shadow or darkness is under my control as far as my shockwave can reach. But not only the objects themselves, their shadows are also mine to control as is the natural darkness. Tell me Naruto, what do you think will happen when I forcefully remove the shadow from an object?"

"…I don't know?"

Every single tree, plant, animal or even rock in a hundred-meter radius was instantly crushed into nothingness as the darkness disappeared. There wasn't even a shadow to be seen nor was there light, it was terrifying, the absence of light and darkness combined. It felt like the world had turned grey "This happens, shadows are one with an object, they can't exist without the other. So if one of them is taken away then the other will disappear as well. But don't think you'll be able to do this anytime soon. This is a special technique near impossible, yet it shows the possibilities of your future. Do you like what you saw brat? Thinking about how you can pay back those disgusting humans with such pure power?"

"I do, but…"

"You want to make them suffer, don't you? Suffer like they made you"

He slowly nodded as an earie grin formed on his face "Then how about I show you that part as well?" before he could even respond the darkness left in the far distance twisted as three humans shot towards their location. Instead of fear for them moving towards him however he was all too calm, Naruto saw how unnaturally they moved and the fear on their face as they seemed to lack any form of control of their body

The three men stood before them soon after not even able to move a single muscle "These were spying on us which I very much don't appreciate. Naruto you wanted to make people suffer, let me show you how" the smile on her face could only be described as terrifying as she looked at the men, the one most on the left took two steps forwards. The muscles on his face now released from her hold he tried to speak until he screamed in utter agony. His muscles spasming and deteriorating until the bones were visible, his joints turning at unnatural angles as sounds of crunching could be heard all as he screamed in pain unknown to most. Naruto looked at him partially in horror at the scene but also in curiosity, he wondered how it happened, he didn't see his teacher do anything. That was until he paid attention to the shadow… instead of a normal shadow he saw it turning into a skeleton from the end of his limbs all the way to his chest. Every part which turned into a skeleton was reflected on the person as his body contorted in a gruesome way "As I mentioned the shadow and object are one, so if I turn the shadow into something I imagine then the object adjust itself forcibly. For instance the leg as I imagine it being removed from the shadow"

The leg which was still partially flesh was torn from his body as blood sprayed out "if I don't truly remove the shadow but separate a part of it then so will the body do the same. Your imagination and control over his shadow is the limit, you can imagine some very nasty things to happen. The most exciting part though is that the person will stay conscious through all of it unless you let them bleed out or remove vital organs for a long enough time. The parts of which I truly removed the shadow won't bleed so the person won't die of blood loss"

The man slowly began to shape itself into a ball as the screams intensified until suddenly the entire body burst apart in a shower of blood, the blood however only moved in the direction of his fellow spies "I can control anything which has a shadow, even things such as blood. Imagine the fun of someone attacking you with a sword onto to have the sword suddenly impale the one wielding it. It does have certain weaknesses which I will explain later but overall the power of wielding darkness is unimaginable, there are few things you can't do"

The two men looked at the remains of their partner in utter fear as they knew what was coming but were unable to do anything against it. They only hoped that it would be quicker and less painful than what they saw just now…

"Now then brat, it's time for your first kill!" he looked at Hikage in shock as the grin on his face widened "You're serious? I can?!" the two men not believing their eyes as they saw a six-year-old kid smile at the idea of killing someone

"Yep I am" she went to one of them men, took a kunai and gave it to Naruto "First one's quick, the second one you will torture as you see fit. Let out some of that rage, enjoy the feeling as you return what all those people did to you"

Looking at the Kunai in his hand he wavered for a second until he firmly grabbed it. Walked up to one of the remaining men and slowly pushed it into his throat, blood sprayed all over Naruto as he took in what he just did. He stumbled back a bit before Hikage stopped him by the shoulder "Don't"

"I-I killed him! I really killed him!" the man was still gurgling as the shadows let go of him, falling to his knees as the light in his eyes vanished

"You did indeed, tell me brat, do you feel remorse? Do you feel saddened thinking about it after all those men did the same thing to you? How they tortured you, beat you, sliced you up until you nearly died time and time again? If not for your healing you would've died countless times, do you feel remorse after you did what they did to you so many times?"

The words echoed in his mind 'She's right, they did do this to me. They attacked me almost every day! Why should I feel bad about killing someone after what they did to me, they're all the same!'

"I don't!" he took the kunai firmly in his hands again as he stepped towards the remaining man, the determination in his eyes to make the man suffer growing by the second. Hikage let the man regain power over his voice as Naruto stabbed the kunai in his hand, twisting it as the man grunted in pain

"Want me to show you some painful spots brat?" he nodded "Go for the fingernails, slowly remove them one by one as you break his fingers afterwards. Break his joints slowly, do as they did to you. You remember the tortures, don't you? Think about the things which hurt you the most and do them to him, let him feel what you felt all those years"

Naruto proceeded with the instructions, the man screamed in pain as the torture became worse by the minute. Fingers torn apart, joints broken in twisted ways, skin being peeled off with the sharp edge of the kunai as the man was still conscious through all of it. The torture continued for what seemed like an eternity to the man as he writhed in agony, the blood loss becoming worse as the wounds grew deeper, his consciousness slowly fading

"Naruto he's nearly gone, finish it before he slips away" he looked up at the man, held him by his hair and slowly pushed the kunai into the man's mouth until finally he fell to the ground, dead in a pool of his own blood. He looked at what he'd done, the raging emotions overwhelming him as he'd finally done to another what was done to him all those years. Hikage stood behind him with the most sicking smile on her face 'All too easy, you'll hate humanity Naruto, I will make them fear you like a true demon. You will slaughter wherever you go, bring suffering to those filthy things until finally you take over my name and make the entire world know what they did"

* * *

 **And there you have it the second chapter, as I said it's a bit brutal but ah well it's kind of necessary for the rest of the story. You can't have a happy go lucky Naruto when he's supposed to be dark, Hikage is twisting him towards that path though as you may have noticed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay a new chapter, I think. I hope you like it! Disclaimer Bla Bla I don't own Naruto yadayada never will etc etc…**

* * *

"Hokage-sama you've got to get serious, execute that damn demon already! He's maimed two of my clan for kami sake, we've put up with his existence long enough!" Fugaku stood in front of Hiruzen raging on how his clan members were unjustifiably harmed by Naruto, claiming that it was not their fault but the demon's

Hiruzen slammed his hand on the desk "No! I've had enough with this, your members attacked him in an alley and tried to kill him, they deserved what came upon them!"

"You can't prove that! It's the demon's word against ours!"

"That's because you refuse to give them to T&I to confirm it!"

"I will not have my members slandered when they did nothing wrong, either you execute the demon or I will myself!" the discussion had gone on for near an hour already as the Uchiha refused to give up "Is that a threat Fugaku, do you remember who you're standing in front of?!"

"Tss fine, mark my words the demon will pay" Fugaku turned around before slamming the door as he exited the office. Hiruzen could only sigh, this had been happening for the last couple of days, people coming in claiming that Naruto had to be executed for leaking the demon's power and severely injuring innocent men…

Yet Hiruzen's bleeding heart refused to actually execute people for their behaviour. What they got was akin to a slap on the wrist and hoping they didn't do it again, yet every single time it was proven otherwise. He was weak, the S-ranked secret forbade anyone from even mentioning him being a demon let alone kill him for it. Still even despite everything nobody had been executed in years

His door slamming open as the secretary came in with a panic-stricken face "Hokage-same trouble! Villagers and shinobi are assaulting Naruto while he's coming this way!" his head shot up with eyes open and fear appearing, the girl had warned him that anything against Naruto would result in the death of the entire village "Where are they now?!"

"Sir, right down the street, they're nearly here already", 'They?! Oh no, we're in trouble…'

Hiruzen flickered outside as quick as he could and could only gasp at the sight before him, the street littered with villagers either dead or crippled. Body parts scattered all over the place as men and women cried in agony lying on the ground, missing legs, arms or having holes torn in them… Yet the culprit walked up to him smiling as if nothing happened, her darkness still raging around her

"Brat, I told you what would happen"

His face turning pale as the words were said "Please, Hikage-san don't!" the villagers looking at her with newfound additional fear as even the Hokage cowered before her, yet a thought came in the back of their heads all the more 'He's turned weak'

"No need to worry brat, I won't destroy the village. Yet, that would ruin my fun already and wouldn't that be a shame? And if you wondered I didn't start this, not that I care but still, they called my brat a demon. I know about your law brat, if you're too weak to enforce it then it'll be my pleasure instead"

One foolish villager not having learned his lesson continued to shout "KILL THE DEMON, WE'VE HAD ENOUGH OF HIM! MAKE HIM PAY!" Hikage's smile grew wider as she turned around and calmly walked up to him, the man now starting to cower but refusing to back down. Darkness instantly grasped his limbs as the man was slowly torn into pieces in front of everyone watching and hearing his screams "See, he broke the law. Therefore he must be executed, right brat?"

Yet the military police and so called elite Uchiha clan was nowhere to be seen. They let everything happen as if having an Ulterior motive, not caring that many villagers and shinobi alike were being murdered

"Follow me inside brat, you have something I need" Hikage walked towards his office as Naruto followed without a word, not even in panic at the sight of what had happened. Not soon after he sat behind his desk holding his breath as before him stood the person he feared most "Give me the Shadow Clone Jutsu, the brat needs it for his training"

'She can't be serious! That's a forbidden Jutsu for a reason!', "Hikage-san… are you sure?"

"You doubt me brat? Did you not hear my words? Either you give it or more streets will be filled with corpses, your choice"

"N-no!" a large scroll appeared before him as he rolled it out before the two "Naruto, this is the shadow clone Jutsu, please Naruto be careful when using it…" swallowing as fear was still ever so present. Naruto looked at the scroll with a pleasing smile and not long after having already learned the technique. Holding his hands in the correct seal "Shadow clone!" one appeared next to him. Hiruzen's dumbstruck face with mouth wide open 'Already?! It's not even been five minutes!'

Hikage nodded at the sight "Good work brat, it's time to go back. Dispel you clone, you're not to use it without my permission"

"Yes Sensei, Bye Jiji" the two turned around without another word "Anbu make sure nobody approaches them, we don't want more people killed!"

"Sir, you don't want us to take them in?!"

"No! Whatever you do don't even act like you're trying to harm them!" his headache already coming up as it was all too clear what would happen, the council would be at his doorstep any moment now demanding retribution or something of the sort…

…

Naruto was walking through the streets his head filled with joy, the sight of all those villagers that harmed him for so many years now dismembered in the streets. Their screams of pain filling his head instead of the other way around, yes… he was all so glad to have stumbled upon that cottage. His new Sensei may be extremely strict and train him to his death but it was worth it, this one day was more than enough compensation for the hellish torture she put him through!

Sadly on their way back no others were killed, apparently a few shinobi did have brains as they halted anyone from nearing him or his Sensei. 'Shame…'

The forest came into view as they walked inside towards their cottage, a small open space made for training. He stood in front of his Sensei without a word, waiting for her commands whatever they may be "Brat, it's time to pick up our pace. With the Shadow clones you'll be able to train three times as quick. There is but one rule, never make more than two"

"Sensei, can I ask why?"

"Of course brat, because more than two will kill you. The Yin-energy in your body will get unbalanced and kill you and your clones, you can try if you'd like?"

"N-No sensei"

"Good, your training with the serpent is progressing quickly. It seems there was more to it than I thought, it's not just a random snake. Which is beneficial to you. Now then, how far is your Echo-Technique coming along?"

Learning this technique had proven to be an annoyance at first, it took him two days just to get the grasp of it. The feeling of natural Yin-energy mixing in the air was strange, it was like his body suddenly expanded, like anything that touched the energy also touched him yet he couldn't respond to it. He had plenty of chakra and energy though as the expansion of his field was quickly growing, the more control he got the more came into his vision "I can see up to two meters now sensei"

"How long is the interval between casts?"

"Little less than two seconds sensei"

"Tss still too slow, focus on quickening the casts instead of expanding your vision first. You'll need to be able to cast it every half a second at minimum. The more you get used to the technique the less chakra it'll cost. That's why you're going to use two clones, anything they learn you will learn as well as they dispel. You will make two clones and dispel them every six hours during day and night. You will at all times have two clones practicing the technique"

"Yes sensei! Sensei, when will I learn how to control shadows?"

"In a hurry brat?" Naruto slightly smirked at the idea of doing what he saw Hikage do in the streets "When your casting interval is sufficient and your range is five metres. I estimate it will take you four months. You may have been at it for a week now but the longer your range the more time it will take. It will take exponentially more effort to expand your Echo the larger it gets"

"During this time you will continue training your body, get used to the changes until you know everything that's happening with it. Dodging is an important part of your fighting style, you don't focus on strength but on control. If someone can't hit you but you can control every little move they make when you catch them then it's your victory"

"Yes sensei. What will my clones do when I train with the snake? The scroll said they will dispel after a single hit, they won't be of any use during that part of my training"

Hikage smirked as the brat proved quick to grasp things, five minutes of learning the technique and a quick pace with the Echo. She didn't admit it but she was impressed, he asked valuable questions as well, the stupidity was being removed after the transformation of his body "They will do chakra control exercises. You've done the leaf exercise in the academy correct?" she got a nod as response "Then we're going to continue on with tree walking. You will focus chakra onto the soles of your feet and fill in the little gaps between the tree, this will let your feet stick. Use too much chakra and you will be blown away, too little and you'll slip. Your control has gone up tremendously since I've made adjustments to your body so this won't take long"

The two clones got to work as the main Naruto walked deeper into the forest, waiting for his supposed partner. The bond with the snake had improved over the days as they now waited in an area at a set time. They couldn't communicate but for some reason it just so happened, he came upon the starting area with the snake already waiting for him. There was a silent agreement as the snake raced towards him, a swipe almost four times faster than in the beginning going for his feet as Naruto hopped back a meter. The first few times he jumped over the tail but that was a massive mistake, he couldn't dodge in the air as the tail suddenly turned upwards, he learned from that… broken bones will do that to you. The snake slithered forward when it swiped now thrusting the tail forward intending to blast Naruto backwards. He quickly sidestepped, the tail now going for a grasping motion from his back which Naruto had become all too familiar with. The only solution was going towards the snake, as quick as possible he lunged for the snake not to attack but to get some breathing room. If it was a venomous snake this would be problematic but that was not the case, it was a constrictor so the head was actually the safer part of its body, not truly safe but just more so. A new move however appeared as the snake slammed its on head into the ground as an anchor, his massive body doing a full 360 degree swipe in a split second. Naruto was blown into the air as the tail grabbed him before he got out of reach, panic appeared on his face for once as he was slammed face-first into the ground. Using his arms to protect his head, they and his neck were broken with a sickening crunch "New move huh, got me there…"

His head snapping back straight, smirking at the snake as Naruto got up as if nothing happened, not even caring anymore about the pain as his body healed. It had become rare for the snake to give him such a serious blow, he'd grown used to the moves he faced thus far. This didn't mean it was easy to battle the snake, far from it. The latter was far stronger, more agile and had experience

The fighting raged on for six hours as Naruto's mind was suddenly filled with information. His stamina getting lower as the dodging became harder, the snake went at him as Naruto suddenly jumped towards a nearby tree. The snake confused still didn't relent as it went to continue its assault, believing the boy would slam into the tree and remove his only escape. Yet what happened surprised it, the boy suddenly stood on the tree's bark for a second and jumped off again! Amused it looked at the boy thinking about how fast he was improving, pondering what it should do. Still in thought it gave Naruto a final look and slithered away…

He was confused, what'd just happened? 'Why did it leave? We weren't done yet' but it was already long gone. The only option left was to go back to the cottage, which was weird because he would usually be thrown there by the snake. That's how the training stopped, when he was unable to get up anymore

"Back so soon brat?"

"Yes… the snake suddenly left when I clung to a tree before jumping away from its attack"

'How curious, I think this snake isn't what it makes it out to be. I wonder what it'll do', "No matter, continue on tomorrow if it returns. Otherwise I will find a different way to train you. What's your progress with the exercise?"

"I can walk up the tree nearly fully now, sudden curves still give me trouble"

"Understandable, the sudden expanse in space between your feet and the tree makes you lose grip. Continue training tomorrow and include the leaf sticking exercise as you walk up the trees"

"We're done already?"

Hikage was already walking away towards the village giving a silent answer, she had business to do…

( Somewhere beneath Konoha )

Danzo sat at his desk filling in documents with the help of clones as the darkness in the corner suddenly morphed into the shape of a little girl. Slightly startled at the spectacle but refusing to show it the man acted as if he'd expected it all along "To what do I owe the pleasure, miss?"

"Miss none of your business, at least my name isn't. I have come with a transaction of sorts, you have something you can do for me"

Putting his paperwork down he signalled for the hidden Root to leave, the girl in front of him was not an easy visitor. He saw the danger as she walked through the streets, the sheer uncaring attitude as she slaughtered villagers not even afraid of retribution inside the middle of a Shinobi village. "Oh, do you now? And what makes you think it would interest me? You appear inside of my office unannounced, disrespectful and expect me to cooperate?"

The sudden pressure which overcame him left no room for further questions as Danzo struggled to remain conscious. Hikage walked up to him with her tell-tale wicked smirk "Because brat, you have no choice. And it will interest you I can assure you of that" the fear which overwhelmed Danzo was nothing he had ever experienced before, he instantly knew why Hiruzen acted the way he did, this little 'girl' was a monster!

As quick as it came the pressure left, finally able to catch his breath Danzo looked at Hikage with new light, he knew he had no choice. At least not in front of her face, behind her back however from the shadows… "Don't even think about it brat, the shadows are my terrain. You may think you deal in the darkness but I assure you that in no way are you even a match for me. You're like a mouse trying to stop a natural disaster"

He gulped thinking about how she entered his room, he didn't sense a single thing yet the power which she held was just too immense. "I'm listening…"

"I need some live sacrifices to train the brat. I could just take your men but what's the fun in that, letting him get hatred for other villages would be all the more satisfying. So, I know you take enough prisoners for 'interrogation' without the Hokage knowing, I just want some of them when you've had your fill"

Gears were turning in his head in a way he was all too glad about, he knew which brat she was talking about of course. "I know you wanted to turn him into a weapon, that the bleeding-heart stopped you. So I'm taking over that little task, as a hobby of mine. But what good is a weapon if he has all those useless emotions such as compassion?"

Knowing she was right and having been annoyed at the issue for years he was indeed interested in what the girl had to offer. A weapon with powers like hers? "Will he be trained in your techniques?" receiving a smile in return it was clear, the brat would become a monster, a monster the village could finally use! "And what do I get in return? What you ask of me is not without risk"

"I'm going to remove that bleeding-heart from his office, his attitude has annoyed me enough. He's become weak-willed, pathetic. The sheer count of people trampling over his laws yet he refuses to do anything about it? No, the village needs a new leader, even if he's a puppet"

Eyes growing wide Danzo couldn't help but smile in return, the man that never showed emotions now all too glad for this opportunity "You wish to make me Hokage?"

"No of course not, what good would that do?! Have everybody look at your actions in the open, unable to train those little toys of yours and being stuck with paperwork and menial tasks? No, we need another for that, someone desperate for the position, someone with enough greed yet easy to manipulate"

Danzo instantly caught on "Fugaku?! You want to make that buffoon the Hokage?! He can't even keep his clan in check"

"Precisely, which is why he'll become the perfect scapegoat and puppet. A new Hokage and things suddenly take a turn for the worst? We get to do whatever we please yet he's faced with the consequences until he's stripped from his position and we find a better suited candidate. One we can mould from the beginning, not to mention the additional benefits. We've been at peace for too long, the village has grown weak. A trial by fire should help speed things up, don't you agree?"

"…I do indeed. Tell me, why would you do this, I've researched you and you've got no feelings for the village in the slightest. Your killing of all those villagers and shinobi proves that case"

"Frankly because I quite like living in that little forest, I've done so for years now. Some idiots coming along thinking they can take it away and annoy me in the process is far too much of a chore. I've got the brat to do that for me in the future, let him loose and have some fun with them"

Danzo thought it over, there were plenty of risks he was sure of that. Letting the girl take control was not something he was all too pleased with. Yet the benefits were too alluring, he'd grown frustrated with how the village progressed or rather kept waning in power. Change was needed he knew that all too well, a deal with the devil may even be worth it… "Then I think we have ourselves an arrangement. You're right in your assessment, this village has grown weak under this peace-loving rule. And indeed you are right, I am not fit for Hokage. How will we convince the idiot which will take his place?"

Hikage shrugged "Same way I did with you, show him he doesn't have a choice to begin with. Lure him in with his greed and keep him in check with power. He'll have a little bit of freedom, just not on the things that truly matter. Put him under the illusion he's still in control, his ego will help with that"

"Bring me one man or woman each week, the brat needs experience with killing and shut down those emotions"

"Do you need me to assist, train him like my men are trained. He's still young enough. It'll make sure he follows orders"

"No, that won't work. Your methods are effective I give you that but a Jinchuriki needs to keep certain emotions, particularly rage. The only thing that's needed is point that rage in the right direction, sure some villagers may die in the process but the enemy will experience by far the worst I can guarantee"

"That's not an issue, some villagers don't matter. They've grown arrogant, it will tone down their useless voices and follow orders for once. When can I expect results?"

"A couple of months, it depends on the scapegoat. I expect it won't take all too long, yet you'll have to prepare for when it happens. You need to take swift control over the village yet make it seem like you're the benevolent saddened councilman which truly wants to guide the village in the right direction. They'll expect you to nominate yourself, the fact that you won't will help your image. I will approach him soon, make his hatred for the Hokage increase some more, the more he's clouded the easier it'll be"

( Months later )

"Show me what you've learned brat" Naruto stood in front of three men and two women. His training in torture having greatly proven results as each week he cut someone up in different ways. Some to provide as much pain as possible and others to put others in as much fear as he could with a little show. This time it was a test of sorts, show Hikage how well you've gotten in cutting up people

"I'll start with… you!" Naruto walked up to man in the middle as his face was just the most annoying. The glare and sense of arrogance even as he was held still was just too much of an annoyance to watch, yes he will enjoy making the man suffer 'First the nails, slowly rip them off to begin the torture, shove the knife into his fingers afterwards. Make him think there isn't much too it yet and then increase the pain. Crush his bones one after the other, never harm two spots at the same time, wait until the influx of pain wears down and continue. Don't let the body rest but also don't go too quickly…'

The man was slowly being cut apart, scalped, bones broken. It was time for a little bit of humiliation, his pride as man had to be removed will a dull blade. Afterwards you force him to swallow it whole or in pieces before going to a more fatal act. The edges of the mouth ripped open not by a knife but with brute force, his eyes plucked out and much more until finally Naruto cut open his throat from the inside. This was the painful way to torture, the grotesque way was a bit easier to describe…

The four left watched in horror with their mouths forced shut, they desperately hoped to have a quick ending. "Next one, let's see, you'll do" he grabbed one of the women by her hair and ripped off all her clothes, the humiliation of this however wasn't all that bad compared to what she saw. If that was all then all the better. But he didn't rip of her clothes in order to do stuff like that, no he needed them off to properly get to work "Sensei, can you keep her conscious?" Hikage walked up with green glowing hands put on the woman's forehead. Naruto getting a sharp knife from his pocket smirked "Let's see if I can keep it in one piece this time"

Screams filled the sky as anybody anywhere near the forest grew greatly disturbed, not daring to enter in fear of the same happening to them. The screams never ended for a full half hour as Naruto admired his work, a perfectly scalped woman, her entire skin in a single piece, but she was still awake "Enough for you" stabbing the knife in her heart he ended the pain

"Good work brat two works of art. Three left, show me where the nerves are to either inflict pain or paralyse someone and the blood vessels which slowly make someone bleed out" the three left thinking to themselves that they got off easy compared to the previous two, they knew death would come and it was only a matter of when. The question was who would get the slow bleeding death, they knew it would be the least painful by far…

A small while later the work was done, five corpses in front of him as he smiled with a job well done. He had no compassion left for his fellow humans, they were livestock to train on and nothing else. Every human was filth, every human wanted him dead and have it done in the most gruesome manner possible just because of who he was. He revelled in causing to others what they wanted to do to him

"Congratulations brat you've passed. It's time for the next step of your training. You've managed to accomplish my task of five metres and a quick cast interval so you're going to learn how to control shadows now. At first you'll only be able to control your own shadow, that is until you control it well enough and fuse it with your Echo. Don't be hasty in this, perfect control over your shadow is just as important as the Echo. The two of them are the very basis of your future skillset"

"Sensei, what about Ninjutsu and Taijutsu? I mean blow stuff up!" the next second he was slammed into a tree "Worthless the both of them! You won't be using those party tricks and I'm sure as hell not going to train a brute, I'll rip you apart if you even try! Got that, brat?!"

"Y-yes sensei!"

"Now you'd damn well pay attention. Controlling shadows is an art, the first step is to communicate with them. Shadows have no physical shape obviously, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. You will need to imagine your shadow being something you can touch, act as if it's a solid substance. Infuse your Yin chakra and energy into it. Usually someone needs to have at least 80% Yin purity of their chakra in order to manipulate shadows but your case is different, your Yin energy and chakra are far more potent than one would expect."

"Your first task is to get a feel for your shadow, you know you've succeeded when you can literally feel everything that your shadow is touching. It's an extension of your body. Your shadow will turn darker the more attuned you are with it, when it's finally pitch-black then your task is done. You will not train techniques until you can truly control your shadow or else it will be worthless"

A man on his knees with a white mask flickered in front of them "Hikage-sama" she turned towards the man "Speak". "The Hokage has become ill, your presence is requested in the village"

"Jiji!"

'And now the brat's final tie to the village dies'

* * *

 **Yadayada I kinda don't know if I did things right, I might revise the chapter a few times to make it feel truly right. Something feels off about it but I can't put my finger on it, if you feel like some stuff is off or reads bad then please let me know so I can adjust it. I still hope you liked it. Oh and there will be flashbacks of her talk with Fugaku etc etc no worries, I'm not truly skipping stuff. The torture stuff is just about over for now, this was just needed to remove his feelings for humans, later on he will only test techniques on humans still in kind of painful ways but okay.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A new chapter yadayada this time the timeline will be sped up a bit, I can't have ten chapters on his growth. This will be done with the occasional flashback as that's way more suited for it. I really hope you like it, please give me advice on what I should change if needed. Disclaimer I don't own Naruto blabla you know the stuff**

* * *

Naruto rushed into the room desperation on his face. Before him lay his Jiji breathing weakly on a hospital bed. Tears began to fill his eyes walking up to the man that cared for him all so much, seeing him on his death bed. He was the only one Naruto still cared for, the only love left in this village, he was what kept the darkness at bay. Hikage knowing this all too well didn't show any emotion yet smiled on the inside, her job of tainting the boy had worked all too well so far. She opted to stand right next to the door waiting for her precious student to have his last talk with the weakhearted so called leader

"J-Jiji!" Hiruzen slowly opened his eyes struggling to properly turn his head, yet the man managed to grow a smile on his face as he saw the boy "Naruto… It's good to see you" already after so few words did he need to catch his breath "What's wrong Jiji, come on please get up! You can't, you can't be sick! I need you!"

His hand on the railing weakly grasped by Hiruzen "Naruto, I'm old. It… it had to happen someday. I had hoped that" catching his breath yet again Naruto felt his heart ache even more "That I would see you grow up, I've always… seen you as my grandson"

Not being able to hold his tears any longer Naruto cried, begged "Please don't go…! You need to s-see my dream come true! Please!"

Hikage walked up to Naruto putting her hand on his shoulder as if compassionate for once "Brat, I know it hurts but his age finally caught up. At least give him some happy last thoughts, tell him how much you've grown, how strong you're becoming. He will be happy knowing you can look out for yourself just like your parents would have wanted"

Hiruzen's eyes widening "Y-you told him?" she nodded in return "He had to know, and he doesn't fault you brat. He's known for months and not once has he been mad at you, you're still his Jiji. You can trust me that the brat will be stronger than any could hope for, he will change the world" and how true she was, if only Hiruzen knew in what way… The hope in the man's heart burning as he thought of Naruto's father, that his son was now growing up just as strong or even stronger. He didn't think for a second that Naruto's heart had changed so much during her tutelage

He smiled looking at Naruto "I'm proud of you Naruto… Promise me one thing…"

"Anything Jiji!" sniffing he couldn't hold back any emotion, his heart nearly shattering as he understood his beloved Jiji was truly dying "Don't let the darkness consume you, stay strong… Show the people who you are, I will always watch over you"

"I will! I'll change the world, I promise…"

Hiruzen's smile grew all the wider yet his breath failed him, he closed his eyes for a few seconds as Naruto feared he was dying right before him. Hikage made her move however, walking up to the dying man and holding her hand over his heart. His pale complexion instantly lessening as colour slightly came back, his breathing getting better "This is all I can do, you will have little more time. Use it wisely"

Naruto shocked at her action realising what she had done, she'd given him precious time with his Jiji. His feelings and respect for her growing even more in an instant "What did you do?"

"I gave his heart a little boost using his remaining chakra. He will have a few more hours. He won't suffer any pain this way, one moment he will be awake and the next he will fall asleep. It's for the better"

Hiruzen now wide eyed looked at her with gratitude he couldn't believe he could give her, the demon which shook his world. He knew she didn't mean any good for this village but for the boy she apparently did, this thought gave him peace of mind "Thank you"

"No thanks needed. Talk with the brat, you two deserve it" Turning to her student "Naruto, I told you what you can and can't talk about. Remember, the shadows have ears. We don't want them to gain information they don't deserve, your Jiji knows what I'm talking about" she saw the man nod in understanding "Then I will be on my way. Have one of your loyal Anbu escort the brat home when you're done" not waiting for a response she left the room

As she got outside she closed the door behind her "Let them talk for the next two hours. I've extended his life, he will last around six to seven hours. If you dare disturb them I will have your precious village suffer, do you understand?"

The Anbu and private Hokage guards fearfully nodded but also had thankfulness in their eyes "We do. What about the elders?"

"I will inform them, they will not be a problem. Use your remaining time with him wisely. Dog" turning to the all too familiar Dog masked Anbu "You will escort the brat home when they're done, the chaos of your Hokage in the hospital might bring unwise ideas in people's minds"

"I will!"

Turning around she vanished into the few shadows present, no trace of her left. Only seconds later did Hikage appear underground before the all too familiar desk. Danzo's head shot up looking at her "It's done?" she nodded to which he grinned "Excellent, how long until his passing?"

"Six to seven hours. The first two will be spent with the brat, make sure nobody disturbs them. This will enforce his loyalty to me. Afterwards you can begin the plan"

"Oh, give him precious extra hours with his beloved Jiji. I see, an effective manner to enforce his trust, he will believe you mean the best for him and so will Hiruzen. Very well I will tell the elders. May I ask how you accomplished this without drawing suspicion?"

Hikage smiled wickedly "Of course you can" the next instant Danzo had trouble catching his breath as he grasped for his heart, he looked at her in panic "I merely placed a shadow around his heart. It will slowly stop his heart as if it's naturally failing, nobody will be able to trace it" she retracted her shadow from Danzo's heart as he took a few deep panicked breaths "I-I see" realizing she could do that at a moment's notice to anyone with no counter he could spot. He knew she held all the cards thus far but luckily for him the plans coincided with his…

"Inform Fugaku to be ready. Make sure he keeps his best appearance, we need people to think he wants the best, his arrogance could ruin everything"

Danzo nodded "I agree, he will be kept in check. He knows this is his only chance"

"Good, I will meet him one last time. Give him an extra incentive, just to be sure. Remember my words, don't disturb the brat for the next two hours" once again disappearing into the shadows as the words finished

…

Fugaku sat in his home nervous, it was finally time yet he had trouble truly enjoying the moment. He knew all too well what was to become of him, he may be arrogant but he wasn't a fool. It was just that the deal given to him was too good to pass up and more so, he didn't have a choice… The 'girl' had appeared before him explaining what was to be done. At first he laughed at her thinking she was a worthless wench, yet that changed all too quickly. Just like the others she showed him just a slither of her powers and he knew one thing for certain, he didn't want to anger her…

Her showing up before him at this moment nearly gave him a heart attack, not even daring to speak before she did "It's nearly time. Danzo will call for a meeting as planned"

"I-I know, we've discussed this" trying desperately to keep his stoic appearance as if nothing could touch him "I know we did. But I've come with a little incentive" fear once again creeping up thinking this couldn't be anything good "Don't worry brat, it's a positive one. It will benefit your clan more than you can imagine. I just want to make sure you don't do anything idiotic. For instance targeting the brat when I'm not around, not properly protecting him. You may think I won't destroy the village but that would be too late if you decided to still do so. Therefore I will make you a little deal"

"A deal?" swallowing as his throat nearly dried out

"Yes, a deal. You have two prodigies in your little clan, don't you?" he weakly nodded "They have unlocked three Tomoe, correct?" again a nod "Now I'm sure you know about the next stage of your eyes. Seeing as you have them yourself. My offer is this, I will give your two prodigies such eyes. In return you will never make any move against my brat and will aid him in any way possible, failing to do so will make me annihilate your entire clan"

The fear now turning into both confusion and anger "You plan to make them kill their closest person?! Are you insane, I will never want that! These eyes are cursed!"

Hikage briefly laughed "Don't make assumptions. Your eyes aren't obtained in that manner, you haven't killed your closest person yet you still hold those eyes. Granting those eyes is frankly quite easy for me, tell me brat, which type of chakra is mainly used for your eyes?"

"Preposterous, we've tried to do this for decennia and never has there been any success!"

"Answers my question brat, what type of chakra" her killing intent spiking making him shut up

"… Yin-chakra"

"Correct, the one thing I control more than any other! Now answer my next question, I'm sure these little details are in your clan's history. Did Madara and his brother gain their eyes by killing each other? They couldn't have, seeing as they were both alive, yet they only cared for each other. So how did they gain their eyes?"

Gears turning in his head never even having thought of this, yes the records were known to him. He knew all too well they had the Mangekyo but she spoke the truth. The records say that they were both alive during the warring stage, how did they acquire them?!

"I'll give you a little hint" the room flooding with darkness as her visage grew black, darkness radiating from her as if it was light, the room clearly visible but darker than could be described "I gave them those eyes. So, brat, do you accept my deal?"

"B-But the bli…"

"I know! Do you really think I wouldn't account for that little flaw?! Theirs will be eternal just like your ancestor, yet I give you one warning. If you ever so much as ask of me to give them to any other of your clan" her power increasing, pushing Fugaku into the ground as his bones creaked "I will end your clan, I have been gracious enough to even offer you this. They will aid my brat in his training during their free time, he needs practice against a real opponent. So this leaves my final question, do you agree?"

Struggling to even answer "I-I d-do…"

" _Good, remember who gave you your new position, brat. You may become the new Hokage but never dare cross me"_ Her words echoing in the room as Fugaku felt the pressure lift, the darkness was gone as Hikage vanished. He could feel the cold sweat on his back and face, this may have been a beneficial deal for his clan but he didn't celebrate. Knowing who was involved he could only hope that it didn't turn out for the worst

…

Only a day later and Konoha was in total uproar, news was announced of Hiruzen's passing which caused many to become saddened. The atmosphere was sombre as many wore black in respect. The funeral would be three days later, it would be grand as everyone did their best to assist. Many disagreed with Hiruzen's judgement every so often but they respected him far more for his contributions. He was all in all a great leader according to almost all the villagers and shinobi…

The news of Fugaku becoming Hokage had been announced but the celebration would be delayed for a week. The first thing he did as the new Hokage was instate a week of sorrow for Hiruzen and his great accomplishments, taxes would be removed for the coming month in an effort to brighten up the moment. He did everything he could to seem like a compassionate Hokage right from the start, every elder in the Counsil agreed with his new position as leader which appeased the common villagers. The rumours of Uchiha which put them in a negative light were quickly being dismissed as none could believe the council representing them would install him if they were true. The shinobi population however was not as keen on his appointment yet they were assured by a new law. The Hokage would put more proposals in the Shinobi council for all to judge and truly use their judgement henceforth. His power was slightly reduced to compensate for their lack in trust

But plans were being made without many in the know. The curriculum of the academy was going to be much harsher, students would be trained in chakra usage from a much younger age. Tree climbing would be taught to save time for future sensei, the level of graduates would need to become higher. Students would do more teamwork exercises, train leadership and be trained in roles which suited them more than now. If someone showed promise in a certain field they would be judged more on those subjects and less on others they had less talent for as long as it meant they would become a proper Genin in the end. Students would be doing ten D-rank missions each before their graduation whereas Genin would only do five with their team before continuing with C-rank missions

The Shinobi council agreed that the overall level of their Genin was declining and there needed to be change. Thus far the Civilian council still had say in this but that was now removed, in return they were promised more tutoring for civilians which went to the academy in order to make sure they wouldn't be too far behind the Clan members

But there was still one problem, Naruto was not allowed to go to the funeral… The council had convinced him that he shouldn't come. They said that him coming would draw away attention and respect for Hiruzen's passing, that villagers would pay attention to him instead of the proper attention to his beloved Jiji. He reluctantly agreed with a pained heart but knew it was true, this however didn't mean that his hatred for the villagers didn't grow… they denied him his proper farewell and he would pay them back eventually he swore to that

* * *

( Years later )

Naruto now ten years old stood before his cottage home, his appearance having drastically changed over the years. He was now quite a bit taller, just above average for his age which was better than his height average before. His hair mostly having turned black with streaks of blonde instead of the other way around. His clothes having changed into black Anbu outfit, half a facemask which covered his mouth and nose, but most of all his eyes had changed. Instead of the blue eyes his had become black as night with a blue ring at the edge of the Iris which gave a beautiful yet dark contrast. Anyone looking in his eyes would feel themselves being sucked in, their emotions drained as his had absolutely none in the presence of most people. He stood like a statue, waiting for orders

"Sensei!" standing up even straighter as his master came out of the cottage not even turning his head. Hikage had not changed at all which confirmed her immortality

"Brat I would say congratulations for finally completing your Sage training but I'd rather not waste the time. Your training has progressed adequately, therefore it's finally time for you to begin doing missions" Naruto's eyes looking at her expectantly, which others wouldn't notice except for his sensei. His eyes giving away nearly no emotions but to those which knew what to look for "But don't even think I'm going to let my brat do low ranked trash missions! So it's time for a little test, pass and you will be joining the Anbu, fail and I will kill you. I don't condone failure, that would mean you've wasted my time and I do not take kindly to that"

"Yes Sensei!"

"You will fight an Anbu captain. He's of similar skill to Itachi without his fancy eyes so expect to go all out. You're allowed to show all your skills". "Am I allowed to kill him if the opportunity shows itself?". "By all means do, if he dies with your meagre skills then he's a failure of a captain, he'd be better off dead. When you pass you will be placed in Itachi's team"

"Where does the test take place?"

"Training ground 3, you are expected to appear in one hour" Naruto nodded "Permission to leave", "Granted brat, don't you dare let me down"

Walking up to the forest's darkness Naruto disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke, fused with the shadows he moved towards his location. Most of the route there were shadows present to pass through but some locations the present shadows unnaturally shifted and extended to one another. Only minutes later Naruto appeared walking out from in between the trees in training ground 3 towards the only clearing he could imagine the test would begin. There was nobody present still but that was to be expected. Deciding to scout out the grounds he noticed that it gave ample opportunity for every element to be tested. The forest for subterfuge and stealth, the clearing for an open fight. Water was present for any elemental techniques his opponent may use as well as enough areas suited for the other elements

The time chosen for his test gave him a clear handicap, he was best during early morning or evening when shadows would be clearly present. But the test was taking place mid-afternoon when the sun was right above them, they wanted to see his skills at the weakest moment. If he was still strong enough then it meant that he would always be ready for his future tasks

Only half an hour later did he notice the arrival of three people with the help of his Echo "Come on out, I know you're there Itachi, Shisui and Dog" behind him the three mentioned people jumped from the trees not even surprised they were spotted. "I recon you are my opponent? You're familiar, you were the one that brought me home after I last saw Jiji"

"I am, you've got quite the memory" the voice sounded like his opponent was in his mid-twenties "You're the only one that tried to comfort me, I appreciate that. What should I call you?"

"Codename Dog, my real name is not to be used during missions" Naruto nodded in response "Got it. What will the test entail?"

"It consists of two parts. Fighting capabilities and subterfuge, the others will be judged based on your mission performance, that is if you pass this test. We will begin with a spar" he signalled for Itachi and Shisui to give a wide birth "Come at me with the intent to kill"

Naruto stood on the other side of the clearance studying his opponent, the mask covered his entire face except for the eyes. One was normal while the other was a Sharingan, he immediately knew who he was dealing with as the excitement grew 'This is going to be a challenge, Hatake Kakashi Elite Jonin'

' _Inton: Scythe of Death'_ no seals or words only the thoughts were enough for his techniques, his Sage mode making him have no need for the former. A dark Scythe one and a half metres long with a blade of one metre appeared in his right hand. It was ominous to say the least, pure darkness in the centre which turned solid with black smoke drifting away at the edges. There was no design present, no fancy shape, the one thing that could define it was efficient, made for killing. Kakashi looked at it and swallowed 'I shouldn't underestimate him for his age, the power excluded from just his weapon is monstrous'

The two didn't move as of yet, carefully looking at one another waiting for an opening. But Naruto knew that this was a test, if his mission was to kill a target then he wouldn't have time to wait, it had to be quick and efficient. _'Shadow Shunshin'_ vanishing in smoke Kakashi instantly jumped forward as the scythe sliced where his head was just moments ago. Turning Kakashi held up one hand in front of his mouth "Katon: Great Fireball" as a massive ball of flame shot towards Naruto point blank _'Inton: ShadowMerge'_ for just a few seconds Naruto was able to merge with his own shadow into the ground as the flame passed over him. Kakashi saw the shadow shoot towards him as the scythe appeared in a vertical slice towards his chest with Naruto coming up from the shadows. Holding up his Tanto he tried to block only to shudder as the scythe passed through as if it didn't exist, a log was sliced clean through as Kakashi switched places

'That's one hell of a scythe, you can't even block it! Which probably means he can't block with it either, it's pure offence' looking at Naruto he saw the boy surrounded in black smoke _'Inton: Shadow Portal'_ his left hand grasping into the shadow as Kakashi felt it grasp his leg 'He can attack me from all the way over there!' feeling the hand pull him into his own shadow he sliced it with his Tanto freeing himself. He was left with one option, attack the boy unless he wanted to come at the receiving end all the time. Making seals he slammed his hands on the ground "Doton: Earth spears!"

Naruto leaped into the air avoiding an impalement, taking his chance Kakashi leaped towards him at great speed, his Tanto going for a straight thrust at Naruto's stomach. He expected Naruto to dodge or else he wouldn't have gone for such a fatal blow. Not taking his surroundings into account properly he hadn't noticed he ran into Naruto's shadow which was enlarged due to him being in the air _'Inton: Shadow Possession'_ suddenly feeling himself slow down by a large margin Kakashi was surprised but didn't halt his attack. The Tanto going clean into Naruto and coming out his back 'He didn't dodge?!'

Naruto smirked as he grabbed Kakashi with his left hand and swung the Scythe for an overhead sweep not even caring about the Tanto sticking through him 'Shit! I've been caught!' knowing he had to escape he was faced with no other option Kakashi channelled Lightning chakra through his Tanto increasing the cutting power. With pure force he cleaved it upwards towards Naruto's head hoping that it forced him to dodge, and hoping that he wouldn't kill the boy in the process. But the situation left him no choice, if he didn't then the scythe would surely kill him!

Grunting in pain Naruto kicked Kakashi away from himself while making sure that his shadow stayed connected. His chest now having a massive fissure in the middle, sizzling flesh due to the lightning he looked at Kakashi "That was a bit uncalled for, wasn't it?". Kakashi grimacing as he saw black smoke coming from the obviously fatal wound which in seconds closed as if it wasn't even there to begin with 'The speed of his healing! Then why didn't he continue his attack, unless'

"Your head is still fatal, isn't it?"

"Sadly it is, the rest will just heal in seconds. Now let's continue our fun, let's see how you'll deal with reduced speed" Kakashi saw the shadow stretching in-between him and Naruto but he could still move, just at a vastly reduced speed 'Not the Nara's imitation technique, I'm not copying his movement. Reduced speed in return for still being able to move independently himself?'

' _Inton: World of Darkness'_ Darkness spread around Naruto like a nova in a five-metre radius. The ground now pitch-black and even the air filling with black smoke, although Kakashi was still able to see through it just at reduced visibility _'Inton: Spears'_ All around Kakashi thick black spears shot out of the ground like his earth spears, trying to impale him. His speed now vastly reduced "Doton: Earth Dome" slamming his hands on the ground a thick wall of rock protected him as the spears failed to penetrate. Naruto made a horizontal sweeping motion with his scythe as the dark smoke filling the air suddenly turned into an extension of the scythe, cutting clean through the dome. Yet he missed, with his Echo he sensed that Kakashi had gone underground. Acting as if he didn't know where he was Naruto looked around in confusion waiting patiently for Kakashi to try and grab him. A hand shot from the ground instantly dragging him underground 'Got you' as Kakashi shot up afterwards looking down at Naruto, or at least he thought he would 'He's gone!'

His instincts telling him to dodge Kakashi leaped away as thick needles protruded from the ground, everywhere he went they would shoot up from all directions. Furiously dodging now hard with his reduced speed he didn't notice Naruto behind him holding up one hand "Genjutsu: Blackened Sight"

Kakashi's right eye instantly becoming blind panic kicked in, a narrow replacement with a log saving him from death "Suiton: Water Bullets!" Three Kakashi's leaping out from the nearby river shooting multiple bullets each at Naruto. The latter disappearing from his location in a cloud of smoke only to appear a few metres away still in his World of Darkness. A torrent of bullets aimed at his head shot at him from two clones forced him to dodge as the third and real Kakashi performed a great series of seals "Katon: Great Flame Flowers!". Six massive balls of flame shot up in the sky illuminating the entire clearing with bright light. Darkness receded as the light became too intense causing Naruto to grimace 'Damn, only one thing left I can do' before he made his escape to the thick forest as fire rained down upon him. He dodged any shot that came towards his head but neglected the others as they burned him

Deciding there was only one option left, Hide for now and strike from the shadows. His stamina was much greater than his opponent and he could clearly see the latter was getting tired, especially after his last technique. 'He even cancelled my connection with him'

Kakashi was panting at the river's edge, his two clones popping giving him back some of his chakra. But he knew he was in trouble, the regenerative abilities of his opponent were just too great, the only chance was a true fatal blow but he didn't want to do that. In skill he was greater than the boy, his strikes were deadly to any common enemy and if the boy was one then he would've died multiple times already, yet the boy's abilities were an annoyance to say the least. Everywhere with a shadow he could just evade techniques by blending with them and strike if the opponent got close enough. His regeneration stopped him from sustaining any injuries clear by the massive fissure in the chest healing in mere seconds. The only option would be to fight him in a great clearing with nothing to provide shadows, which was next to impossible in Konoha… yes he was stronger than the boy, had far more experience but the environment was a great disadvantage

Naruto was a perfect assassin especially at night, he shuddered to think what the boy could do when everything was dark. Was it even possible to catch him then?

"You can come on out, the spar is over" he sighed walking up to the middle of the clearing. Kakashi honestly expected to have a clean win, test the boy's abilities somewhat but this was not what he expected at all. He was nearly beaten by a ten-year-old boy! The boy now standing before him as the two onlookers appeared as well "Naruto-kun that was awesome! You totally beat his ass, hey how does it feel getting beaten by a ten-year-old? It must really suck!" Shisui with a massive grin on his face… "Shisui be quiet, you've been beaten by Naruto-kun more times than I can recall"

"Tss Itachi don't spoil it, it's fun seeing someone else get beaten for a change. Not my fault you never got your ass handed to you mister I'm so perfect look at me I'm stoic and unbeatable"

Kakashi sweatdropped at the exchange 'He's been sparring with these two?! No wonder his skills are off the charts!' coughing lightly "Yes, it seems Naruto is much stronger than I anticipated. Tell me, how come it seems like he has years of experience fighting Jonin?"

"Because he has Kakashi, Shisui and I have been training him since he was six under orders of the Hokage. His 'special' training has given him nearly eighteen years of experience fighting us"

"Eighteen years?! But you said you've been training him for four years!"

"We've used a special Jutsu allowed by our eyes to give him three days of experience in mere seconds. We've used this once or twice each day to simulate sparring without risk of death. You can imagine what kind of experience this will have given him"

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Itachi and Shisui stood before Hikage with their new eyes, having gained slight control over them already over the last few days. Nerves got the best of these two veterans as they were warned not to anger or even annoy her in the least. "You're on time, good. I gave the two of you those eyes for a reason and you'd better well use them for what I intended. Have you learned the Tsukuyomi yet?"_

 _The both of them gulped and nodded, knowing what the technique did. They were told by their father how it was used for mental torture and weren't fond of the idea of using it…_

" _You will be using it on the brat once or twice each day depending on how his mind recovers. You may have been told that it deals with torture, but it can also be used for training. You can make anything appear in the illusion, even a battlefield, trap him in it and break him. Make him feel the fear of death as you put him in all kinds of battles, have him gain experience with his abilities in real combat even if it's an illusion. You will not be kind on him, his mind will recover due to his condition, do you understand?" again they gave a bare nod "As an added bonus this will train you in your own abilities as well, you two will form a team with him later on. A small warning, never use this method on anyone else, it will turn them braindead in a matter of days"_

" _Brat! Come on out!"_

 _They watched as the boy already somewhat changed in appearance from what they were used to walked outside. His eyes having streaks of darkness in them next to the white and blue. His hair having turned slightly more dark than they were used to seeing "You've heard what I said, you will begin training immediately" with that she turned around and left, leaving the three to begin_

* * *

"…His experience is indeed far too advanced for his age. It seems only his skills need to be strengthened. For instance his speed which is only low-Chuunin, which I imagine is also because of his body holding him back?"

Itachi shook his head "That's not entirely the case. Naruto you can explain"

"Okay, well I'm not allowed to do physical training… Strengthening the body generates more Yang-chakra, which I'm trying to lose. So this kind of stops me from getting faster until I convert all my chakra to Yin-chakra…"

'So he will always stay this slow until he finishes his training? That's a weakness alright. His skills with shadows and regeneration must be compensating for that', "And your other weakness must be the fire attribute? The light negates your darkness which limits your techniques"

"Yep, but only for the moment. When I get stronger my darkness will be able to stay, but that will take a while before I'm that good. Fighting in the open isn't really my style anyway"

Kakashi took on a thoughtful expression thinking on where to put Naruto in rank. His combat capabilities in the open were low Jonin if you didn't take into account the regenerative properties. His Taijutsu was non-existent from what he's seen. Kenjutsu similarly hadn't shined although he doubted if the Scythe fell under that category. Ninjutsu was definitely Mid to High Jonin… "Naruto, what as that Genjutsu you used?"

"I will answer to that Kakashi" Itachi interjected "It's a Genjutsu he developed that targets the optic nerves. He overloads them with Yin-chakra which impairs their function, making a target blind. However it works differently when dealing with a Sharingan, as you've clearly noticed. Our Sharingan thrives on Yin-chakra therefore your regular eye went blind whereas your Sharingan's vision grew sharper. Yet it only works when he has his shadow connected with the opponent's. It has a limit of five minutes before the body adjusts and it can't be broken in any normal way"

"Hmm. So that's why I could suddenly see clearly when I let out my Fire Jutsu. A dangerous Genjutsu against any regular opponent that's for certain. Itachi, where would you place him in rank?"

"I will go over the various categories then. Ninjutsu 4 because of his shadows, Taijutsu 1,5 only because his dodging is decent when he wants to, Genjutsu 4 as the few that he uses are highly effective, Intelligence 3, strength 1,5, speed 2 and lastly stamina 5. Taking his regenerative qualities into account he's mid-Jonin in an open fight and Elite Jonin when it comes to subterfuge and Assassination. He has clear strengths and weaknesses which have to be accounted for with the missions given. Naruto will do well in assassination missions but poorly with defensive ones because his techniques hinder allies if they don't have a Dojutsu to see through them. The fact that he can assault someone without risk of severe injury will give him plenty of openings to kill an enemy before they find out how to truly kill him. Therefore first encounters without knowledge of his abilities will prove to be his strength, he has to stay unknown"

"So… he's only truly fit for assassination. We mustn't let the enemy gain knowledge on him. He will fit perfectly into your team indeed because the both of you have a Sharingan. Otherwise he would have to be with one of your clan or by himself when he gains more experience. Naruto there is no need for the second test, you've passed and are welcome into the Anbu. Itachi, his mask if you'd please"

Naruto turned around to face what he somewhat considers a friend as the latter held up a black mask without any engravings to him "This will be your mask, your codename is henceforth Kuroi. Due to your unique condition you will be required to wear it at all times Naruto, is that understood?"

"Yes!"

"Then I welcome you to Squad Crow"

* * *

 **Yay Anbu Naruto! No Genin bullshit with such skills, no overpowered issue as of yet. It's time for murder missions and lots of death, time for fun… I hope you liked it? And No Kakashi didn't use his full skillset, he's stronger than he appeared in this chapter. And Naruto's regenerative abilities aren't unlimited, when his chakra is gone his healing will slow down so a prolonged battle is also a weakness. Have a nice day ^^**


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